Chapter 44: Chapter 43: New Servants

For common people, having the chance to enter a castle and become a servant to the Lord and nobles was an incredibly fortunate event.

For one, joining the castle meant they usually wouldn’t have to worry about hunger or cold, and they’d also have a stable income.

For another, entering the castle gave them the chance to get close to the nobility. If they were lucky, they might even receive a reward or an opportunity to change their fate and rise in status!

So when Chahar announced on the pasture that Mountain Forest Castle was recruiting twenty servants, the commoners who hadn’t yet dispersed erupted in excitement. Many of them eagerly rushed forward.

If David, Tom, and the other Extraordinary Knights hadn’t been there to maintain order, the young steward would have likely been completely surrounded by the surging crowd.

The enthusiasm for the positions was incredibly high, but with a single sentence from Chahar, many people’s spirits immediately wilted.

The reason was that, aside from the head cook, Mountain Forest Castle only wanted people between the ages of 18 and 35. Anyone older than that had no chance.

Next came the major selection process.

When it came to choosing people, Chahar first abided by the three requirements Ronin had set, followed by some standards he had established himself.

For example, for servants responsible for manual labor like carrying and moving things in the castle, he required them to look strong and sturdy.

For the position of Ronin’s personal manservant, he required a decent appearance, cleverness, and quick reflexes.

As for the personal handmaiden, although the Lord didn’t seem particularly interested in women, Chahar felt the handmaiden should be as pretty as possible.

After all, when Ronin went to visit other nobles in the future, his personal manservant and handmaiden would have to accompany and serve him. If they looked strange, it would be a blow to the Baron of Mountain Forest Town’s dignity.

Chahar would absolutely not allow such a thing to happen.

Therefore, while he spent little time selecting the other servants, he took a long time filling the positions of personal handmaiden and manservant.

It wasn’t until after four in the afternoon that Chahar finally gathered twenty servants and brought them to the castle to meet Ronin.

On the lawn outside the main keep of the Inner Castle, Ronin looked at the servants standing before him in several rows and nodded slightly.

“You’ve worked hard, Chahar. You’ve done a good job.”

Chahar bowed and said, “Thank you for your praise, my Lord.”

He then began the introductions.

Standing at the very front were three people: the personal manservant, Gallon; the personal handmaiden, Bella; and the head of the kitchen, Mrs. Bandele.

“Gallon is a 19-year-old lad. There are four people in his family. His father was one of the Guards who came here with the Lord Count years ago to handle logistics.”

“Bella is also 19. Her parents are Free People in the town who farm a bit of land.”

“Mrs. Bandele is 38. Although she’s a bit older, I personally went to her dilapidated bakery to taste her food. Compared to the others, hers was the best.”

As he made the introductions, these new, nervous servants all bowed and greeted Ronin. Every one of them was extremely reserved; after all, their Lord’s fearsome reputation was well known.

Ronin sized them up.

They were all dressed in clothes made of flax, similar in style. The difference was that some people’s clothes were newer, while others’ were covered in several patches, a clear sign of poor living conditions.

This was normal. After all, they were commoners from a mountainous region. It was good enough that they were sturdy and had clothes to wear. He couldn’t ask for too much.

The handmaiden, however, made Ronin look twice. She was quite pretty. With a little grooming, she might even be more beautiful than Princest’s two lovers.

’Chahar really is someone who studied at Wushan Castle,’ Ronin thought. ’He’s got a decent eye.’

Behind these three were the regular castle servants, the ones responsible for animal husbandry, and so on.

Ronin didn’t spend much effort memorizing their names. After all, in his daily life, the only ones he would likely have much contact with were these three at the front.

“Very good. Welcome aboard.”

After Chahar finished the introductions, Ronin said a few words of welcome. “Chahar, there should be some servant uniforms in the castle. Distribute them later.”

“Also, teach them basic etiquette. Especially Gallon and Bella. You two may have to accompany me when I go out, so some of your habits will need to change.”

Chahar breathed a sigh of relief.

’Before coming here, I thought the Lord would find fault with one or two of them and make me recruit again,’ he thought. ’I didn’t expect all twenty to pass.’

“Rest assured, my Lord. I will teach them basic etiquette as soon as we’re dismissed. I will pay special attention to Gallon and Bella!”

Ronin didn’t comment further on the matter of the servants. Chahar was educated; it was best to leave these things for him to handle.

“First, issue a second recruitment notice to Mountain Forest Town for me.”

He had to arrange for a Civil Servant first. He instructed, “I need to recruit a Civil Servant. Any commoner of Mountain Forest Town can come to the castle tomorrow at nine in the morning to apply.”

“Of course, not just anyone will do.”

He stressed, “Besides the points mentioned yesterday, the age limit can be relaxed to 40 and under. Also, they must be able to read and write most words, and their mobility cannot be limited.”

The condition of being able to read most words alone would probably filter out a large number of people.

Because in this world, knowledge was expensive.

A book of a few dozen pages bound in sheepskin would usually sell for several Silver Coins!

It was already quite an achievement for a commoner to ensure their family had three square meals a day. Where would they find the extra energy and money to study or buy books?

After Chahar left with the servants, Ronin began to think about the questions he would ask the interviewees tomorrow. After all, if many people came to apply, he would still need a way to screen them.

After a while, Ronin finalized the questions. He then went to the window and began casting the Clear Wind Skill outside.

As a beginner-level magic for a Wind Attribute Mage, this spell wasn’t difficult. Coupled with the fact that Ronin’s Attribute Affinity had reached the Extraordinary grade, he was quickly able to cast it with 100% success after learning it that night.

The reason he continued to practice was mainly to improve the proficiency and stability of his Spiritual Power in engraving Magic Patterns, in preparation for making Magic Scrolls later.

The Mage Pedro had said that creating Magic Scrolls required a Mage’s Spiritual Power and Mana output to be extremely stable to engrave the Magic Patterns onto Magic Beast Hide.

If this condition wasn’t met, it was impossible to create a Magic Scroll, just like how Pedro had tried many times, only to end up with duds.

Ronin clearly met this condition.

His Spiritual Power and Mana were both very stable, so creating Magic Scrolls in the future shouldn’t be a problem. He had also privately asked Elron, who also seemed to meet the condition.

In other words, in the future, Mountain Forest Town could have two Mages capable of creating Magic Scrolls.

Ronin had given it serious thought. If Mountain Forest Town had no special products, he could sell Magic Scrolls as a resource.

Moreover, once their Mage Levels increased and they could create powerful Magic Scrolls, they could be treated as a strategic resource.

If there was a magic that could destroy a city in an instant, and Ronin could turn it into a Magic Scroll, then that scroll would be equivalent to a nuclear weapon.

Of course, this was just a fantasy of his. He had no idea if any heaven-defying magic actually existed in this world.

That was all for the future. For now, a Second-level Healing Spell Scroll would definitely sell well.

This way, Ronin could also accumulate a certain amount of wealth.

Besides Magic Scrolls, Ronin was also planning to rely on the memories from his past life to see if he could develop some industries.

For example, spirits?

The people of this world loved to drink. From the high nobility down to the common folk, everyone had a habit of drinking, and there was no shortage of people who loved alcohol as if it were life itself.

However, they all drank beer and wine. Even a high noble like his predecessor had never encountered spirits, so they clearly didn’t exist.

This presented Ronin with a very clear market opportunity.

However, Ronin had no practical experience in how to make spirits. He estimated it would require a long period of exploration and experimentation.

Fortunately, he already had the theoretical knowledge; all he lacked was the practical application. Ronin was very confident in himself.

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